As families around the world gathered for festive feasts, hundreds of travellers prepared to board a flight that would see them skip Christmas Day altogether.
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Passengers on NZ7 from San Francisco to Auckland took off on 24 December, ready to travel on a 12-hour flight that would see them cross the international date line and land on 26 December – missing out on even the tiniest twinkle of Christmas Day magic.
But Air New Zealand wasn’t going to let that happen. The crew pulled out all the stops to transform the Dreamliner into a Christmas wonderland, surprising more than 200 travellers onboard by bringing a one-of-a-kind Christmas celebration to the skies. Passengers were delighted by a dazzling onboard illumination and were surprised by moments of magic across the flight, adding festive magic to the cabin interior.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran says the airline wanted to create a special surprise to bring festive joy to its customers this year. “Every detail was designed to bring the magic of Christmas to life, even at 30,000 feet. It’s our way of spreading some Air New Zealand manaaki to one lucky flight full of festive travellers this year. What a terrific way to celebrate Christmas in the skies.”